Those are some truly atrocious sells numbers. I know Japan does not like shooters but...geez. SE is really gonna have to heavily depend on the western release.

Odd yeah. Does PE traditionally sell better here? I've heard a few titles generally do better Stateside than in the homeland.

The First game was very well received in Japan. I don't know about how the western release sold compared to Japanese but the plot and setting has a more western feel then most Japanese games. 3rd birthday just seems like one of those titles that would have been better off released here first, with a later Japanese release, like the way the new Castlevania was done.